Twitter track challenge provides plenty of debate

Last week on Twitter, American marathoner Meb Keflezighi floated a challenge to 100 meter world record holder and Jamaican megastar Usain Bolt. Meb suggested a charity match race between the two, at a distance somewhere between the 26.2 miles he usually runs and the quarter lap sprints Bolt is king of. It caused a fun little debate here at the store, as our staff and customers all weighed in on what distance would be most fair.

Athletically, the two might both be runners, but their disciplines could hardly be further apart. Surely, everyone agreed that Bolt could never hang in there for a mile against a pro distance runner, and there’s no way Meb could compete with the world class start and speed of a sprinter for only a quarter mile. Once we got into the distances in between, the argument seemed infinitely debatable.

Realistically, this race will probably never happen. As the reigning superstar of the sport, Bolt has no real incentive to participate. It would probably be more than a little disruptive to his training regimen and it wouldn’t really prove anything historically. But it’s really a shame that it won’t.

I think goofy side challenges like this one, the kind that sound a little like bar bets and stir up lively debate, would be really good for the sport of track and field. Relays, team events, handicap racing and point-to-point races are always good for a discussion. They’re fun, hard to predict and they can be broadcast in short segments that would lend themselves well to highlights shows and online video clips.

The Sprinter: Usain Bolt

The pre-race build up could help attach some personality to the participants in a way that a title bout in boxing might. That would go a long way in a sport that commonly involves people racing in the same sponsor uniforms, with very little to differentiate them from the pack surrounding them. Part of the reason for the success of track and field during the Olympics is that casual fans can easily identify a runner to cheer for by virtue of the country the athlete is representing.

As a matter of fact, I think these types of nontraditional races could be particularly beneficial in the period right after the Olympics are done, capitalizing on name recognition being at its highest after the games. A few months after, most athletes’ training isn’t as serious as they mentally refresh from the long grind up to the Olympics. They might be more likely to try something different for fun (kind of like Lolo Jones and the bobsled).

In the public’s eye, there’s not really much to look forward to for another four years. Less traditional races might help bridge the gap between Olympic cycles. They could generate some publicity and maybe keep people watching and interested in track longer. Then perhaps they’d know the athletes better and be more likely to pay attention to things like the World Championships or Diamond League races.

I’m doubtful that any of this will actually come to fruition. It doesn’t seem like the compensation packages for the best athletes encourage this type of event now. Perhaps it wouldn’t even be as meaningful as I think if it did happen. However, there are a few creative thinkers though, like Meb, who may have enough public recognition to do something like this in a meaningful way. If a few like-minded runners get together they could make it happen. Until then, it might just remain one more dorky debate between friends at the bar, in the running store, and on the message boards.

Brendan Barrett is the owner of Sayville Running Co. Follow him on Twitter @SayvilleRunning.